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The Girl with a Thousand Faces
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters comes a dark fantasy set in a historical Hong Kong that combines ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive.
When Mercy Chan washed up on the shores of Hong Kong with no family, no money, and no memories, she was thrust into the horrors of World War II. She survived by hiding in Kowloon Walled City, an infamous, ghost-infested slum full of lost and traumatised civilians. Since the end of the war, she has rebuilt her life and found work with the local triad as a ghost-talker, dealing with the angry and bitter spirits who haunt this place. These days, the alleyways of Kowloon feel like home.
But the past she can’t remember won’t let her go. An unusually powerful ghost has infested Kowloon’s waterways, drowning innocents and threatening the district. Unnervingly, it claims to know Mercy—and her forgotten childhood. As Mercy is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with this malignant spirit, she begins to realize that the monster she fights within these walls may well be one of her own making.
Thirty-three years before, mere days ahead of the Japanese invasion, Sung Siu Yin and her mother flee Hong Kong, intending to hide out on her mother's ancestral island home. It’s beautiful, tranquil, and remote… but also inhabited by ghosts ever since the entire village drowned in a storm many years ago. Still, it’s better than living under occupation.
But as the war drags on and isolation sets in, Siu Yin is increasingly drawn into the island's grim past—a past that may still have a hold on the present. There is a darkness lurking beneath that idyllic ocean, and it has been waiting many years for someone to return.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2026
About the author
Sunyi Dean
14 books1,882 followersFacebook || Instagram ||Threads || Bluesky ||
Sunyi Dean is a writer of speculative fiction. Originally born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong, she now resides in a Yorkshire cottage full of music and books.
Her most recent novel, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, was inspired by her upbringing: her old high school was once a mission house on the edge of the original Walled City, and her grandparents survived the Japanese occupation during WW2.
In her spare time, she likes buying whisky, collecting dumbbells, and dying in jiu-jitsu. She also founded the Hugo-nominated Publishing Rodeo Podcast with fellow Tor author, Scott Drakeford.
Sunyi Dean is a writer of speculative fiction. Originally born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong, she now resides in a Yorkshire cottage full of music and books.
Her most recent novel, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, was inspired by her upbringing: her old high school was once a mission house on the edge of the original Walled City, and her grandparents survived the Japanese occupation during WW2.
In her spare time, she likes buying whisky, collecting dumbbells, and dying in jiu-jitsu. She also founded the Hugo-nominated Publishing Rodeo Podcast with fellow Tor author, Scott Drakeford.
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May 5, 2026Edit: It's out! Hurrah! At last.
After much struggling over the past few years, including a lengthy process that involved redrafting many times from scratch, I've finally got a book that both myself and my editors are happy with. I'm sorry about the second person; I know that's not always popular, but it does mean that the story can give a 'close' POV while still hiding facts from the reader.
For the kind folks who are asking, I can't yet give a sequel to Book Eaters, sorry! I know what that book would be and have an outline written down somewhere, but I need to finish my current contract first :) the good news is that I’m close to completing that first contract.
QUICK WARNING: There is no romance in this novel, for very valid Story Reasons, I'm afraid! I thought I'd mention that as the lack of such elements can be a dealbreaker for some readers, and I'd hate for someone to read it and feel disappointed.
#####
AUTHOR’S NOTE (updated: 6 Sept 2025)
(as included in the back of this book)
Spelling conventions in this book
Chinese given names are commonly two-syllable combinations, prefaced by a family name, or surname. There are different ways to represent that two-syllable construction in English; sometimes those first names have a space between syllables, or a hyphen. Sometimes they are written together a single two-syllable construction.
I’ve been inconsistent across the book in how I represent those names; this is a deliberate choice. When possible, I combine syllables because I don’t want readers to interpret Daiyu as two separate names, for example. This is also how my own name is written; my mother chose to write “Sunyi” rather than “Sun Yi,” because she knew that in English the “yi” might be misconstrued as a middle name, when it is not.
However, for other names—for example, Kit Ling—I opted to add a space between syllables, in order to guide the pronunciation a little more. If written like “Kitling,” I think most Western readers would understandably rhyme that with “Kipling.” This is due to how different languages handle stressed and unstressed syllables.
In other cases, I sometimes made an aesthetic choice. I felt intuitively, for example, that “Lau Yik” looks straightforward when written with a space, whereas “Lauyik” might give English readers pause.
The topic of how to best present non-Anglo names can be really sticky, and I hope that I have not been insensitive in my methods. My goal is only to present the names as accessibly and accurate-sounding as possible, while still respecting the pinyin system and the language itself.
On the subject of English names in a Chinese setting
Hong Kong has a long and complex history with English-sounding first names. For many young people, choosing an English name—especially before going abroad—is something they spend time and effort on. Not all Chinese names translate easily to English, and also some folks just enjoy the fun of it.
When my mother moved from Hong Kong to Texas in the late 1980s, she picked the name Lisa for herself. To this day, even though she has now reverted to her original given name, there are still a few people who know her as Lisa. When I was much younger, I often used my middle name, Robin, while in America. Some of my Texan relatives continue to use “Robin” to this day, despite my requests to be addressed as Sunyi. In this book, Mei Chi opts to acquire the English name of Mercy.
I will also freely admit that giving a slightly different name is a useful tool for helping the reader to keep track of the varying timelines, which do get quite complicated in places. However, having known many people who move seamlessly between their English and Chinese names, I think she would fit right in.
On the subject of translated names
For the most part, character names are untranslated in the book, but not always. This inconsistency is something I wrestled with enormously; there’s a weirdness to having certain terms or names translated in a book which is set in a non-English environment, while others remain the same.
Ultimately, I decided that leaving names in their original form was truer to how Chinese people think about names. For example, my own name means God’s Child, but nobody who says my name is thinking of me as God’s Child. They think of me simply as Sunyi, even among Cantonese speakers. Despite the fact that most Chinese names have a directly translated meaning, the context shapes how people perceive/hear those names.
In a similar way, we might meet someone called Pierce Brosnan, and think of him only as the person called Pierce—and not as the action verb, “pierce.” Therefore, I felt that writing “Mei Chi” gave a better sense of how her name would be “heard” by Chinese speakers, rather than writing “Beautiful Pond,” fun though that would have been.
In Mei Chi/Mercy’s case specifically, I thought it was also useful to show the phonetic similarities between her English and Chinese names, which is a part of why she picks Mercy in the first place.
The two characters who buck this trend are Cobra Lily and Red Bird. This is because their situations are unique. Cobra Lily’s “real” legal name is a secret, known only to herself and the government officials she briefly speaks to; her “triad name” is a chosen identity, meant to represent her status as its leader, and to convey her power. The same is true for Red Bird. Her name is taken to represent her identity as a sex worker, and to protect her privacy from the men she encounters.
In both cases, the meanings of their names are more important than the sound of them. When other people speak of Cobra Lily, or Red Bird, they are hearing the words individually, because their names are more like titles. A similar example in English might be the famous 1980s wrestler Shirley Crabtree, who was known as “Big Daddy” in the ring.
On the subject of translated words
I mostly use English terms throughout because that’s the language this book is written in. However, some words actually convey better through context than they do through crude translated terms, e.g., dai pai dong or cha chaan teng. I could say “cafe” instead of cha chaan teng, but that has an association for me which is European in origin. Besides, modern Hong Kong has cafes, too, and they are often quite different from a cha chaan teng.
In short, I’ve tried to use common sense or artistic license for what feels appropriate, and to convey a sense of cultural flavor in things that I particularly love about Hong Kong without drowning English readers in unfamiliar terms.
A note on Cobra Lily, and the historical figure of “Mother Snake”
The character of Cobra Lily is entirely fictional, but she does draw from a real-life lady gangster named She Aizhen. Originally born into a wealthy Shanghainese family, Aizhen was fascinated by the criminal underworld at an early age, despite her privileged upbringing and expensive education. At fourteen, she fell pregnant with a gangster’s child. When he refused to support her, she threatened him with a knife until he agreed to marriage. When her second husband cheated on her, she stormed the house of his mistress, threatened the other woman with guns, and scratched the skin from her face.
She Aizhen’s life was marked by extraordinary violence and unusual contrasts. She was beautiful and intelligent, but also brutal and viciously cruel. She defied a thousand different gender barriers and social strictures, but also tortured and murdered wantonly, and even sided with the Japanese during World War II. Much like Cobra Lily, She Aizhen was a difficult person to categorize: a compelling force of nature, both monstrous and revolutionary.
A further note on Guanyin/Kwun Yam, and Ma Zu
Historically, Guanyin/Kwun Yam is a wholly separate entity from Ma Zu, and better known as a powerful and important goddess of mercy, rather than as a sea goddess. Guanyin originated from Hinduism, specifically the male bodhisattva known as Avalokitesvara. Buddhism derives much of its lore from Hinduism, including some of the deities.
As Buddhist/Hinduism spread and diverged across distances, Guanyin was sometimes portrayed as a gender-fluid deity, or more commonly as a woman in East Asia. As my mother put it, “Guanyin was born a man, but we know her now as a woman.”
The reasons for this are complex and fascinating, and draw in part from Guanyin’s ability to incarnate in different bodies and take different forms. I have attempted to capture some of that gender fluid history here, in how Guanyin/Kwun Yam is represented.
Meanwhile, Ma Zu’s origins differ enormously. Unlike Guanyin, who has always been divine, Ma Zu was born a human child with selective mutism (hence her name, Lin Moniang, which means ‘Silent Girl’). She had the ability to control storms and astrally project her spirit.
Over time, in certain locations, Ma Zu cults and Guanyin cults became enmeshed in their beliefs. Though Ma Zu is widely accepted as an elevated human, some cults believe that she was actually an incarnation of Guanyin in human form, which would go some way to explaining her devotion to Guanyin (Ma Zu’s goddess of choice), and her amazing supernatural gifts. This, combined with Guanyin’s ocean affinity in certain regions, led to a blending of those stories.
The historical literature leans heavily on them being separate figures with separate histories, but in this novel, I’ve adopted the interpretation that Ma Zu was an incarnation of Guanyin, hence the strange sea-cavern temple, and the carvings that depict interactions with jiaoren. (For context, Ma Zu famously threw herself into the ocean after the death of her father, and in some legends she encountered strange creatures beneath the waves.)
As always, there’s a balance to be struck between respect for beliefs, and the desire to weave those rich traditions into story form. I hope that what I have done will be of interest, rather than of offense, to those who worship both or either of these deities.
After much struggling over the past few years, including a lengthy process that involved redrafting many times from scratch, I've finally got a book that both myself and my editors are happy with. I'm sorry about the second person; I know that's not always popular, but it does mean that the story can give a 'close' POV while still hiding facts from the reader.
For the kind folks who are asking, I can't yet give a sequel to Book Eaters, sorry! I know what that book would be and have an outline written down somewhere, but I need to finish my current contract first :) the good news is that I’m close to completing that first contract.
QUICK WARNING: There is no romance in this novel, for very valid Story Reasons, I'm afraid! I thought I'd mention that as the lack of such elements can be a dealbreaker for some readers, and I'd hate for someone to read it and feel disappointed.
#####
AUTHOR’S NOTE (updated: 6 Sept 2025)
(as included in the back of this book)
Spelling conventions in this book
Chinese given names are commonly two-syllable combinations, prefaced by a family name, or surname. There are different ways to represent that two-syllable construction in English; sometimes those first names have a space between syllables, or a hyphen. Sometimes they are written together a single two-syllable construction.
I’ve been inconsistent across the book in how I represent those names; this is a deliberate choice. When possible, I combine syllables because I don’t want readers to interpret Daiyu as two separate names, for example. This is also how my own name is written; my mother chose to write “Sunyi” rather than “Sun Yi,” because she knew that in English the “yi” might be misconstrued as a middle name, when it is not.
However, for other names—for example, Kit Ling—I opted to add a space between syllables, in order to guide the pronunciation a little more. If written like “Kitling,” I think most Western readers would understandably rhyme that with “Kipling.” This is due to how different languages handle stressed and unstressed syllables.
In other cases, I sometimes made an aesthetic choice. I felt intuitively, for example, that “Lau Yik” looks straightforward when written with a space, whereas “Lauyik” might give English readers pause.
The topic of how to best present non-Anglo names can be really sticky, and I hope that I have not been insensitive in my methods. My goal is only to present the names as accessibly and accurate-sounding as possible, while still respecting the pinyin system and the language itself.
On the subject of English names in a Chinese setting
Hong Kong has a long and complex history with English-sounding first names. For many young people, choosing an English name—especially before going abroad—is something they spend time and effort on. Not all Chinese names translate easily to English, and also some folks just enjoy the fun of it.
When my mother moved from Hong Kong to Texas in the late 1980s, she picked the name Lisa for herself. To this day, even though she has now reverted to her original given name, there are still a few people who know her as Lisa. When I was much younger, I often used my middle name, Robin, while in America. Some of my Texan relatives continue to use “Robin” to this day, despite my requests to be addressed as Sunyi. In this book, Mei Chi opts to acquire the English name of Mercy.
I will also freely admit that giving a slightly different name is a useful tool for helping the reader to keep track of the varying timelines, which do get quite complicated in places. However, having known many people who move seamlessly between their English and Chinese names, I think she would fit right in.
On the subject of translated names
For the most part, character names are untranslated in the book, but not always. This inconsistency is something I wrestled with enormously; there’s a weirdness to having certain terms or names translated in a book which is set in a non-English environment, while others remain the same.
Ultimately, I decided that leaving names in their original form was truer to how Chinese people think about names. For example, my own name means God’s Child, but nobody who says my name is thinking of me as God’s Child. They think of me simply as Sunyi, even among Cantonese speakers. Despite the fact that most Chinese names have a directly translated meaning, the context shapes how people perceive/hear those names.
In a similar way, we might meet someone called Pierce Brosnan, and think of him only as the person called Pierce—and not as the action verb, “pierce.” Therefore, I felt that writing “Mei Chi” gave a better sense of how her name would be “heard” by Chinese speakers, rather than writing “Beautiful Pond,” fun though that would have been.
In Mei Chi/Mercy’s case specifically, I thought it was also useful to show the phonetic similarities between her English and Chinese names, which is a part of why she picks Mercy in the first place.
The two characters who buck this trend are Cobra Lily and Red Bird. This is because their situations are unique. Cobra Lily’s “real” legal name is a secret, known only to herself and the government officials she briefly speaks to; her “triad name” is a chosen identity, meant to represent her status as its leader, and to convey her power. The same is true for Red Bird. Her name is taken to represent her identity as a sex worker, and to protect her privacy from the men she encounters.
In both cases, the meanings of their names are more important than the sound of them. When other people speak of Cobra Lily, or Red Bird, they are hearing the words individually, because their names are more like titles. A similar example in English might be the famous 1980s wrestler Shirley Crabtree, who was known as “Big Daddy” in the ring.
On the subject of translated words
I mostly use English terms throughout because that’s the language this book is written in. However, some words actually convey better through context than they do through crude translated terms, e.g., dai pai dong or cha chaan teng. I could say “cafe” instead of cha chaan teng, but that has an association for me which is European in origin. Besides, modern Hong Kong has cafes, too, and they are often quite different from a cha chaan teng.
In short, I’ve tried to use common sense or artistic license for what feels appropriate, and to convey a sense of cultural flavor in things that I particularly love about Hong Kong without drowning English readers in unfamiliar terms.
A note on Cobra Lily, and the historical figure of “Mother Snake”
The character of Cobra Lily is entirely fictional, but she does draw from a real-life lady gangster named She Aizhen. Originally born into a wealthy Shanghainese family, Aizhen was fascinated by the criminal underworld at an early age, despite her privileged upbringing and expensive education. At fourteen, she fell pregnant with a gangster’s child. When he refused to support her, she threatened him with a knife until he agreed to marriage. When her second husband cheated on her, she stormed the house of his mistress, threatened the other woman with guns, and scratched the skin from her face.
She Aizhen’s life was marked by extraordinary violence and unusual contrasts. She was beautiful and intelligent, but also brutal and viciously cruel. She defied a thousand different gender barriers and social strictures, but also tortured and murdered wantonly, and even sided with the Japanese during World War II. Much like Cobra Lily, She Aizhen was a difficult person to categorize: a compelling force of nature, both monstrous and revolutionary.
A further note on Guanyin/Kwun Yam, and Ma Zu
Historically, Guanyin/Kwun Yam is a wholly separate entity from Ma Zu, and better known as a powerful and important goddess of mercy, rather than as a sea goddess. Guanyin originated from Hinduism, specifically the male bodhisattva known as Avalokitesvara. Buddhism derives much of its lore from Hinduism, including some of the deities.
As Buddhist/Hinduism spread and diverged across distances, Guanyin was sometimes portrayed as a gender-fluid deity, or more commonly as a woman in East Asia. As my mother put it, “Guanyin was born a man, but we know her now as a woman.”
The reasons for this are complex and fascinating, and draw in part from Guanyin’s ability to incarnate in different bodies and take different forms. I have attempted to capture some of that gender fluid history here, in how Guanyin/Kwun Yam is represented.
Meanwhile, Ma Zu’s origins differ enormously. Unlike Guanyin, who has always been divine, Ma Zu was born a human child with selective mutism (hence her name, Lin Moniang, which means ‘Silent Girl’). She had the ability to control storms and astrally project her spirit.
Over time, in certain locations, Ma Zu cults and Guanyin cults became enmeshed in their beliefs. Though Ma Zu is widely accepted as an elevated human, some cults believe that she was actually an incarnation of Guanyin in human form, which would go some way to explaining her devotion to Guanyin (Ma Zu’s goddess of choice), and her amazing supernatural gifts. This, combined with Guanyin’s ocean affinity in certain regions, led to a blending of those stories.
The historical literature leans heavily on them being separate figures with separate histories, but in this novel, I’ve adopted the interpretation that Ma Zu was an incarnation of Guanyin, hence the strange sea-cavern temple, and the carvings that depict interactions with jiaoren. (For context, Ma Zu famously threw herself into the ocean after the death of her father, and in some legends she encountered strange creatures beneath the waves.)
As always, there’s a balance to be struck between respect for beliefs, and the desire to weave those rich traditions into story form. I hope that what I have done will be of interest, rather than of offense, to those who worship both or either of these deities.
May 12, 2026
"ghost-talker" is my new dream job
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
January 12, 2026
Generational trauma is perpetual but so are cats! (no I will not elaborate)
A ghost-talker confronts her missing past and the ghosts that linger in Sunyi Dean’s historical gothic feat, The Girl with a Thousand Faces. It feels like eons since I first discovered Sunyi Dean and drifting back into her work feels as languorous as a cat taking a long stretch in the sun—entirely out of sorts with the actual tone of Dean’s sophomore novel: a historical gothic fantasy all about ghosts and the cycles we perpetuate. The Girl with a Thousand Faces is as cutthroat as the ghosts left to steep in sadness, anger, and regret. At the helm, Mercy Chan, a fifty something ghost talker with a mysterious past facing down a ghostly killer intent on forcing her to confront her own forgotten ghosts. The Girl with a Thousand Faces makes the reader into a kind of specter, wandering Kowloon Walled City alongside Mercy as she unravels the past. Dragged down deep into waters ancient and strange, Sunyi Dean weaves a startling narrative that will have you questioning the true villains, be they paranormal or man made. Vindictive ghosts are one thing, but Dean’s true talent lies in her glimpse into the real horror beneath, the devastations of war, grief, and generational traumas—with everything a cost of ignoring that pain. Brave this strange ghostly saga and whatever you do don’t look down.
Read my review
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.
Bookstagram | Blog
A ghost-talker confronts her missing past and the ghosts that linger in Sunyi Dean’s historical gothic feat, The Girl with a Thousand Faces. It feels like eons since I first discovered Sunyi Dean and drifting back into her work feels as languorous as a cat taking a long stretch in the sun—entirely out of sorts with the actual tone of Dean’s sophomore novel: a historical gothic fantasy all about ghosts and the cycles we perpetuate. The Girl with a Thousand Faces is as cutthroat as the ghosts left to steep in sadness, anger, and regret. At the helm, Mercy Chan, a fifty something ghost talker with a mysterious past facing down a ghostly killer intent on forcing her to confront her own forgotten ghosts. The Girl with a Thousand Faces makes the reader into a kind of specter, wandering Kowloon Walled City alongside Mercy as she unravels the past. Dragged down deep into waters ancient and strange, Sunyi Dean weaves a startling narrative that will have you questioning the true villains, be they paranormal or man made. Vindictive ghosts are one thing, but Dean’s true talent lies in her glimpse into the real horror beneath, the devastations of war, grief, and generational traumas—with everything a cost of ignoring that pain. Brave this strange ghostly saga and whatever you do don’t look down.
Read my review
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.
Bookstagram | Blog
May 16, 2026
This didn't end up being the all-time favorite read that I was hoping for, but I still have to admire the author for telling an intriguing ghost story full of grief, vengeance and memory through such an unusual and bold narrative structure. This book certainly wasn't what I expected when I first picked it up and it also never stopped playing with my expectations as the story went on. I loved the first introduction that I got to this world. It's 1975 in the Walled City of Kowloon where the days are hot, the atmosphere is dark and the ghosts are plenty. It's the place where 50-something-year-old Mercy Chan works as a ghost talker for a triad queen, together with her ghost cat Bao. (I will never leave a cat unmentioned in my reviews, and Bao is important to me and to the story.) Nowadays Mercy is badass, snarky and just has her shit together, but her past is another thing entirely. She once washed up on a shore with no memories of her prior life, but she was already heavily scared and had a unexplainable violent nature. In present day she gets wrapped up in the planned demolition of Kowloon and in multiple unusual murders, and I was ready to read a 400+ page book of all of that. But the author had other plans and spends a good chunk of the book on telling the backstory of multiple characters thirty-three years in the past instead. It's what I meant when I mentioned the unusual and bold narrative structure, but I have to be honest: the change of pace kinda killed the original momentum for me. I had a hard time getting into the backstory, set in WWII when China was occupied by the Japanese, but overall I can see what Sunyi Dean tried to do here. And I also think that her plan worked out, just not super smoothly. But I found myself slowly invested in the past storyline and I also was rewarded for my patience with a pretty good twist. For a long time I had problems with seeing this as one coherent story, but now I can think about it as a whole. It's a story about war and trauma shaping people, about being driven by hate and rage, but also about being haunted by terrible decisions. There's a bleak and hopeless atmosphere throughout the whole book and even though it's a fantasy novel, it felt very grounded in reality and in human emotion. At parts it read like a horror novel, at parts the real-life war history took over and then it turned into a supernatural ghost story again. (At one point I even thought that it might turn into a monster romance, but fortunately the book didn't go that far.) It was quite the experience and it really had me involved in the story of two women throughout their lives (and deaths). I'm sure that this book will appeal to many readers, but be sure to expect the unexpected with this one.
Make sure to also check out AG's review when it's up. We did a buddy read :)
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Make sure to also check out AG's review when it's up. We did a buddy read :)
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2026
4.5 ★— What a journey this was! I clearly should have read this earlier, as it’s been on my TBR for a while and I could have used a book like this to get me out of my reading slump.
Following Mercy Chan, a ghost talker living in 70s Hong Kong, this book portrays her past set against the backdrop of Japan’s occupation of China, and her present life in the aftermath of it.
And wow, wow, wow! I did not know this book would take me where it did. Mercy was a great main character to follow, and I appreciated so much that she was a woman in her 50s, when the fantasy genre is mostly dominated by younger protagonists.
Slightly grouchy, snarky, and clearly shaped by multiple decades of her job, I loved that she was a character who fully embraced the shades of gray she exists in, while still fostering her own sense of morality and care amidst the more harsh and unsettling environment surrounding her.
This book goes in a direction I didn’t expect as Mercy investigates the mystery of the myriad of people turning up dead, and I was floored by how Dean managed to intricately weave a tale of loss, betrayal, complicated family bonds, and the darkest shades of human nature. This was all so raw and poignant and also often devastating, letting me as the reader stew in the emotional weight of everything unfolding on the page.
The last sentence of this story cemented my feelings about the book as I was basically mute for a solid hour after finishing my read. I really recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for fantasy that doesn’t follow a cookie-cutter formula and is craving freshness in the genre!
🎧Audiobook Notes
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo
⭐ Listener Rating: 5/5
I honestly can’t even overstate how good this narrator was and how well she portrayed Mercy in her different stages of life. Her voice was so perfect and practically made me desperate to keep my AirPods in my ears, as I wanted to see how this story continued! I fully recommend this to audiobook lovers, as listening felt just as good as reading!
________
Thank you to Tor for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Following Mercy Chan, a ghost talker living in 70s Hong Kong, this book portrays her past set against the backdrop of Japan’s occupation of China, and her present life in the aftermath of it.
And wow, wow, wow! I did not know this book would take me where it did. Mercy was a great main character to follow, and I appreciated so much that she was a woman in her 50s, when the fantasy genre is mostly dominated by younger protagonists.
Slightly grouchy, snarky, and clearly shaped by multiple decades of her job, I loved that she was a character who fully embraced the shades of gray she exists in, while still fostering her own sense of morality and care amidst the more harsh and unsettling environment surrounding her.
This book goes in a direction I didn’t expect as Mercy investigates the mystery of the myriad of people turning up dead, and I was floored by how Dean managed to intricately weave a tale of loss, betrayal, complicated family bonds, and the darkest shades of human nature. This was all so raw and poignant and also often devastating, letting me as the reader stew in the emotional weight of everything unfolding on the page.
The last sentence of this story cemented my feelings about the book as I was basically mute for a solid hour after finishing my read. I really recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for fantasy that doesn’t follow a cookie-cutter formula and is craving freshness in the genre!
🎧Audiobook Notes
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo
⭐ Listener Rating: 5/5
I honestly can’t even overstate how good this narrator was and how well she portrayed Mercy in her different stages of life. Her voice was so perfect and practically made me desperate to keep my AirPods in my ears, as I wanted to see how this story continued! I fully recommend this to audiobook lovers, as listening felt just as good as reading!
________
Thank you to Tor for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Just look at this beautiful cover, it's stunning. This book has the most organic blend of all the genres that I love—fantasy, horror, folklore and historical fiction. If you’re looking for a more diverse read with a kick of magical realism, look no further.
A woman washes up on shores of Hong Kong and finds refuge in ghost-infested slums of Kowloon Walled City. She has no other option but work as a ghost talker. One day, a very powerful ghost comes to her city and begins causing havoc. It claims to know all about this woman and her past secrets, some of which are best left forgotten.
This is a stunning Gothic tale set in the historical Hong Kong about women who cannot forgive. It explores themes of war, grief, trauma and forgiveness while blending history, sorrow and fantasy through dual timelines and multiple POVs.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!
Narrator: Natalie Naudus (award winning!)
Duration: 13 hours and 2 minutes
Speed: 1.25x
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio/Tor Books and the author, Sunyi Dean for an early ALC!
Publication date: May 5, 2026
A woman washes up on shores of Hong Kong and finds refuge in ghost-infested slums of Kowloon Walled City. She has no other option but work as a ghost talker. One day, a very powerful ghost comes to her city and begins causing havoc. It claims to know all about this woman and her past secrets, some of which are best left forgotten.
This is a stunning Gothic tale set in the historical Hong Kong about women who cannot forgive. It explores themes of war, grief, trauma and forgiveness while blending history, sorrow and fantasy through dual timelines and multiple POVs.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!
Narrator: Natalie Naudus (award winning!)
Duration: 13 hours and 2 minutes
Speed: 1.25x
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio/Tor Books and the author, Sunyi Dean for an early ALC!
Publication date: May 5, 2026
Read
January 7, 2026
Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:
Sunyi Dean's debut novel, The Book Eaters, was a bloody good time and one of my favorite books of 2022, so I was wicked excited to learn she has a new book coming in 2026! It's a historical dark fantasy set in Hong Kong about a woman named Mercy Chan. Mercy arrived in Kowloon years earlier with no memory of who she is and has since made a life as a ghost talker for the triad. But then a murderous spirit starts drowning people, and catches Mercy's attention. The spirit claims to know her and her unremembered past. And if Mercy can't remember where she came from and how she ended up in Kowloon, it may drag her down into the depths for good. —Liberty Hardy
Sunyi Dean's debut novel, The Book Eaters, was a bloody good time and one of my favorite books of 2022, so I was wicked excited to learn she has a new book coming in 2026! It's a historical dark fantasy set in Hong Kong about a woman named Mercy Chan. Mercy arrived in Kowloon years earlier with no memory of who she is and has since made a life as a ghost talker for the triad. But then a murderous spirit starts drowning people, and catches Mercy's attention. The spirit claims to know her and her unremembered past. And if Mercy can't remember where she came from and how she ended up in Kowloon, it may drag her down into the depths for good. —Liberty Hardy
April 2, 2026
Thank you so much for the arc HarperCollins UK | HarperFiction | HarperVoyager!
„But home is never more beautiful than when
you see it for the last time.“
🌊rogue spirits
🪦ghost-infested slum
🌊memory loss
🪦ghost-talker
🌊early-fifties protagonist
„The past is an endless ocean on which we can sail forever without returning home.“
What I liked:
- The plot twist was soo good! I thought I’d figured it out but it was way more complex than I thought. It makes me want to reread the story to notice all the little hints and informations I missed!
- I absolutely loved the worldbuilding! Mostly set in a ghost-infested slum, an unpopular relic of the last World War, filled with ghosts and people who never had the chance to recover from the horrors of the Japanese occupation. The whole story is about traumatized individuals trying to survive, and even ghosts are not spared from exploitation and betrayal. The way ghosts were used and treated during the war was a twist I found especially interesting and sadly realistic if humanity were ever able to use them.
- Bao, the murdery ghost-cat! I love him and I would read a whole book just about him!
What I didn’t like:
- Some parts felt a tad too slow for me, but it didn’t bother me much.
„If each person only corrects the crimes that they have committed themselves, then the world will be full of pain, because evil men do not care about injustice, and so never correct their own.“
✍🏻 Writing style: 4,75/5
👥 Characters: 5/5
🌍 Worldbuilding: 5/5
📝 Story & Plot: 5/5
✨ Vibes: 5/5
•Is this my go-to genre? yes
•Will I buy a physical copy: yes
•Will I read more books by the author: yes
„But home is never more beautiful than when
you see it for the last time.“
🌊rogue spirits
🪦ghost-infested slum
🌊memory loss
🪦ghost-talker
🌊early-fifties protagonist
„The past is an endless ocean on which we can sail forever without returning home.“
What I liked:
- The plot twist was soo good! I thought I’d figured it out but it was way more complex than I thought. It makes me want to reread the story to notice all the little hints and informations I missed!
- I absolutely loved the worldbuilding! Mostly set in a ghost-infested slum, an unpopular relic of the last World War, filled with ghosts and people who never had the chance to recover from the horrors of the Japanese occupation. The whole story is about traumatized individuals trying to survive, and even ghosts are not spared from exploitation and betrayal. The way ghosts were used and treated during the war was a twist I found especially interesting and sadly realistic if humanity were ever able to use them.
- Bao, the murdery ghost-cat! I love him and I would read a whole book just about him!
What I didn’t like:
- Some parts felt a tad too slow for me, but it didn’t bother me much.
„If each person only corrects the crimes that they have committed themselves, then the world will be full of pain, because evil men do not care about injustice, and so never correct their own.“
✍🏻 Writing style: 4,75/5
👥 Characters: 5/5
🌍 Worldbuilding: 5/5
📝 Story & Plot: 5/5
✨ Vibes: 5/5
•Is this my go-to genre? yes
•Will I buy a physical copy: yes
•Will I read more books by the author: yes
Did Not Finish
April 21, 2026Sincere thank you to Sunyi Dean for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!
DNF @ 50%
I’m very disappointed, this having been one of my highly anticipated reads this year. Normally I have no qualms about giving a rating for a DNF, but this time I’m not going to do so just because I think this might equally be a me problem.
I think this book is trying to tell too many stories. Not in an ambitious, sprawling sort of way. The book is only 320 pages but there is just such a hodge podge of plot crammed in, it’s hard to really connect with any one thing in particular. The first third of the book focuses entirely on Mercy Chan and her ghost talking ability, her life in Kowloon Walled City nestled into Hong Kong. A petition is being put forth for Kowloon, the only home she’s ever known, to be demolished. Nearly as soon as this story is established, there’s an abrupt shift to the past, to the childhood that Mercy Chan no longer has any memory of. Once the story shifts, the narrator and the POV change which is confusing and odd. Suddenly the story is being told from first person POV, something that was not done in the beginning of the book, and the narrator is now omniscient.
I have read other books where very far into the story an entirely secondary story takes place with a different POV character. The first that springs to mind is The Last Contract of Isako. It can be done, but it has to be done carefully. When your reader develops a connection with the main character and then the author pulls the rug and switches to a new main character, it can easily lose the reader. That’s what happened to me with this story. Once the perspective was changed away from Mercy Chan, and a new narrator was added and a first person POV, I could not connect again. After that I found myself struggling to even pick up the book.
In addition to this soup of plot points, writing techniques and timelines, I also found the dialogue extremely clunky. Every character seemed to speak exactly the same way, making it difficult to even discern who was speaking, or find real personality in the characters.
Overall this one wasn’t for me, but I still appreciate being given a chance to early read and review by this author and give them all my best wishes for future books!
DNF @ 50%
I’m very disappointed, this having been one of my highly anticipated reads this year. Normally I have no qualms about giving a rating for a DNF, but this time I’m not going to do so just because I think this might equally be a me problem.
I think this book is trying to tell too many stories. Not in an ambitious, sprawling sort of way. The book is only 320 pages but there is just such a hodge podge of plot crammed in, it’s hard to really connect with any one thing in particular. The first third of the book focuses entirely on Mercy Chan and her ghost talking ability, her life in Kowloon Walled City nestled into Hong Kong. A petition is being put forth for Kowloon, the only home she’s ever known, to be demolished. Nearly as soon as this story is established, there’s an abrupt shift to the past, to the childhood that Mercy Chan no longer has any memory of. Once the story shifts, the narrator and the POV change which is confusing and odd. Suddenly the story is being told from first person POV, something that was not done in the beginning of the book, and the narrator is now omniscient.
I have read other books where very far into the story an entirely secondary story takes place with a different POV character. The first that springs to mind is The Last Contract of Isako. It can be done, but it has to be done carefully. When your reader develops a connection with the main character and then the author pulls the rug and switches to a new main character, it can easily lose the reader. That’s what happened to me with this story. Once the perspective was changed away from Mercy Chan, and a new narrator was added and a first person POV, I could not connect again. After that I found myself struggling to even pick up the book.
In addition to this soup of plot points, writing techniques and timelines, I also found the dialogue extremely clunky. Every character seemed to speak exactly the same way, making it difficult to even discern who was speaking, or find real personality in the characters.
Overall this one wasn’t for me, but I still appreciate being given a chance to early read and review by this author and give them all my best wishes for future books!
April 28, 2026
God, I love stories about angry women. Two wronged children become two powerful, vengeful adults (?) and, honestly, a girl can still dream.
It took me a minute to settle into this one, but once I did, I was all in. The eerie urban-gothic atmosphere was everything, and while it’s classified as horror, there was really only one scene that truly spooked me (mostly because I’m terrified of the ocean). The story feels folksy, mythical, deliberate, and deeply intelligent. Definitely one of those novels where you can feel how much heart the author poured into every page.
Its themes are dark, real, and resonant: generational trauma, the lingering consequences of war, and the messy, painful complexities of family. Both main characters are refreshingly flawed and compelling in their own ways. Mercy is a middle-aged ghost-talker who is just fucking over it lol.The other protagonist is an unapologetically pissed-off and problematic badass.
The narrative is ambitious, and while I admire what it’s reaching for, I do think it could have benefited from a bit more tightening. Converging timelines are tricky, and parts, particularly in part three, felt somewhat clunky. Some of the stylistic choices, especially the POV shifts and heavy use of subject ellipses, occasionally pulled me out of the story. They created an interesting reading experience, but a heavier hand in editing might have made them more effective.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, inventive, and memorable story. I think this will find a devoted audience, especially among readers who love gothic fantasy with sharp teeth and something meaningful to say.
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a minute to settle into this one, but once I did, I was all in. The eerie urban-gothic atmosphere was everything, and while it’s classified as horror, there was really only one scene that truly spooked me (mostly because I’m terrified of the ocean). The story feels folksy, mythical, deliberate, and deeply intelligent. Definitely one of those novels where you can feel how much heart the author poured into every page.
Its themes are dark, real, and resonant: generational trauma, the lingering consequences of war, and the messy, painful complexities of family. Both main characters are refreshingly flawed and compelling in their own ways. Mercy is a middle-aged ghost-talker who is just fucking over it lol.The other protagonist is an unapologetically pissed-off and problematic badass.
The narrative is ambitious, and while I admire what it’s reaching for, I do think it could have benefited from a bit more tightening. Converging timelines are tricky, and parts, particularly in part three, felt somewhat clunky. Some of the stylistic choices, especially the POV shifts and heavy use of subject ellipses, occasionally pulled me out of the story. They created an interesting reading experience, but a heavier hand in editing might have made them more effective.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, inventive, and memorable story. I think this will find a devoted audience, especially among readers who love gothic fantasy with sharp teeth and something meaningful to say.
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
fierce, tender, twisty and compelling, this is a novel about hate and forgiveness, family and betrayal, and the endless hurt of war and anger.
I loved it.
I loved it.
May 4, 2026
“Do you like ghost stories, little sister? Sit down, get comfortable. You haven’t heard this one before.”
I loved this book. It was a very cathartic reading experience. I went in blind and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was like what if Fredrik Backman wrote a dark urban fantasy or historical fantasy. I say Fredrik Backman because this book deals with a lot of his usual characteristics- unspoken trauma, the impact of loss, social isolation, forgiveness, rebuilding trust, etc.
“How easily she kindles anger in you; how swiftly she stings and lashes out. Only family can hurt family in that way.”
It is one of the most unique books I have read both in terms of the setting and the structure. The story revolves around two lonely women from two different areas and two different timelines and most of the story happens in ghost infected Hong Kong. One of them is a middle-aged ghost-talker that works for a notorious mafia boss and the other woman is seeking vengeance for all the injustice that has been done to her. All three different grammatical voices are used at different points of the story, and even the narrative voice switches from limited to omniscient and even switches between guided and invisible at times within the omniscient parts- but it is all executed very well. The story flows seamlessly and at no point was I confused by the plot points or which character’s head I was in. There is a specific reason the story is written this way as well.
“If each person only corrects the crimes that they have committed themselves, then the world will be full of pain, because evil men do not care about injustice, and so never correct their own.”
As I observed these characters from within their own head and from the outside and through different lenses, I went from one end of the feelings spectrum to the other extreme- all for the same character. It is very emphatic writing and the payoff is extremely worthwhile. This deliberate head-hopping to view different perspectives of the same event is important for the story this book is trying to tell and the place it is trying to take its characters and the readers to at the end. It also takes exceptionally strong writing by the author to present this story with as much clarity and accessibility that it has. I was hooked and went through 70% of the book in one day.
I cannot conclude this review without mentioning that while this book primarily is kind of a character study across two women dealing with internal trauma and grief, it is also a staunchly anti-war book. We learn some of the culture and life of Hong Kong in the 70s but also how China and Hong Kong were affected by the second world war, the Japanese occupation, the plight of refugees at that time, and how war leaves scars that do not go away even after decades of time.
I loved this book. It was a very cathartic reading experience. I went in blind and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was like what if Fredrik Backman wrote a dark urban fantasy or historical fantasy. I say Fredrik Backman because this book deals with a lot of his usual characteristics- unspoken trauma, the impact of loss, social isolation, forgiveness, rebuilding trust, etc.
“How easily she kindles anger in you; how swiftly she stings and lashes out. Only family can hurt family in that way.”
It is one of the most unique books I have read both in terms of the setting and the structure. The story revolves around two lonely women from two different areas and two different timelines and most of the story happens in ghost infected Hong Kong. One of them is a middle-aged ghost-talker that works for a notorious mafia boss and the other woman is seeking vengeance for all the injustice that has been done to her. All three different grammatical voices are used at different points of the story, and even the narrative voice switches from limited to omniscient and even switches between guided and invisible at times within the omniscient parts- but it is all executed very well. The story flows seamlessly and at no point was I confused by the plot points or which character’s head I was in. There is a specific reason the story is written this way as well.
“If each person only corrects the crimes that they have committed themselves, then the world will be full of pain, because evil men do not care about injustice, and so never correct their own.”
As I observed these characters from within their own head and from the outside and through different lenses, I went from one end of the feelings spectrum to the other extreme- all for the same character. It is very emphatic writing and the payoff is extremely worthwhile. This deliberate head-hopping to view different perspectives of the same event is important for the story this book is trying to tell and the place it is trying to take its characters and the readers to at the end. It also takes exceptionally strong writing by the author to present this story with as much clarity and accessibility that it has. I was hooked and went through 70% of the book in one day.
I cannot conclude this review without mentioning that while this book primarily is kind of a character study across two women dealing with internal trauma and grief, it is also a staunchly anti-war book. We learn some of the culture and life of Hong Kong in the 70s but also how China and Hong Kong were affected by the second world war, the Japanese occupation, the plight of refugees at that time, and how war leaves scars that do not go away even after decades of time.
May 15, 2026
GASP
I didn't see that shift coming
And I didn't see the second shift coming
I looooove truly unpredictable stories like this because honestly I'm sick of reading the same tired plots and outcomes over and over.
This is just so good
The cycle of grief (haunting). Not letting injustice consume what's left of your life
A ghost kitty, more looks into folklore, and really just not seeing the shifts and storylines coming together sold this one so hard for me.
IMO this one is spectacular and I'm recommending it for everyone even slightly interested 🖤
I didn't see that shift coming
And I didn't see the second shift coming
I looooove truly unpredictable stories like this because honestly I'm sick of reading the same tired plots and outcomes over and over.
This is just so good
The cycle of grief (haunting). Not letting injustice consume what's left of your life
A ghost kitty, more looks into folklore, and really just not seeing the shifts and storylines coming together sold this one so hard for me.
IMO this one is spectacular and I'm recommending it for everyone even slightly interested 🖤
May 11, 2026
Mercy Chan is a middle-aged, flip-flop-wearing ghost talker living in 1975 Hong Kong. Employed by the Cobra Lily triad and accompanied everywhere by Bao, a ghost cat who communicates exclusively through red-eyed contempt, Mercy navigates the sweating, ghost-saturated vertical warren of Kowloon Walled City, where the dead outnumber the living.
The novel also runs a parallel track. Back in 1941, a twenty-year-old called Sung Siu Yin and her cold, grief-carved mother flee the Japanese invasion to shelter on Shek Ham Chau, a pristine ghost island improbably maintained by its industrious spectral residents. Siu Yin explores, finds a monstrous green-skinned jiaoren lurking just offshore, and, because her judgment regarding sea monsters is optimistic, strikes up a friendship she will come to regret across several bodies.
The jiaoren turns out to be Chen Mei Chi, a water ghost of legendary persistence. Dead since childhood, it haunts her island for decades, and operating on the well-established ghost principle that love and drowning are interchangeable.
When Siu Yin's kindness inevitably cracks the ghost's long loneliness, and her eventual rejection cracks it the other way, Mei Chi performs a grand gestures of wounded affection that is fairly hard to forgive. A confusing genealogy of water ghosts is awakened and exposed.
Meanwhile, Mei Chi, walking around in living skin and rattled by guilt she did not expect to feel, gets rescued by a Japanese military patrol and swept into Hong Kong's wartime resistance, where she becomes, through years of body-swapping necessity, the woman the 1975 timeline calls the Girl with a Thousand Faces.
The two timelines are really one very long grudge, and by 1975 that grudge has matured into elaborate supernatural scheming. I was lost in the accounts of wartime betrayal, stolen bodies, colonial neglect, and family guilt. Whether any of it can be settled without drowning everyone in the vicinity is the question Sunyi Dean is trying to sustain across four parts and forty chapters, with a ghost cat, a goddess, and the Hong Kong harbor as witnesses. I was gasping for air on the first page already.
The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a ghost story about inheritance. It is about what the dead pass to the living, what the living owe the dead, and what happens when the two groups stop agreeing. Women who are cheated of voice, agency, and survival do not dissolve politely into the afterlife. They come back, furious and creative, wearing other people's faces if they must. Give women their due or expect trouble. This thesis is old enough to be engraved on a temple wall, and remains as current as this morning's newspaper. Not very original, though, and thus requires an original way to present it. For me it was too messy, too confusing, too fantastical, too much, too weak, too childish.
The colonial Hong Kong setting does genuine work, grounding supernatural grievance in documented historical betrayal. The weaknesses are structural. The second-person chapters tip from immersive into instructional. The pacing across four parts suggests a book that grew in the writing and was only partially persuaded to stop. The connections are loose and the coherence is absent.
Still, a water ghost who steals faces to demand accountability from a city that preferred to forget her is a fine metaphor for recorded history, and Dean deploys it with enough conviction that the book is to be commended for its ambition, even when the ambition outweighs the unfocused execution. This book is a head full of bees. Couldn't keep up, Couldn't stay interested. It's a shame because the era and events are truly fascinating. The execution did nothing for me.
I may be wrong, but this has to be some of the weakest writing I've yet to encounter from a serious publisher:
“...Chungpo swore under his breath.
“Fuck a crab,” Mercy said, and sighed. “Grandmother, you are dead. I don’t know if the sickness killed you or starvation did, but either way, the only ‘help’ your grandson gave was to hurry you along and make sure you could not escape death. He waited till you were bedbound, stole your money and your jewelry, and locked you in here to die.” She looked at Chungpo. “Am I right?”
The man glared. Gold bracelets clacked on his wrists as his fists curled.
“No!” The ghost began to cry with black tears, smoke trickling from her nostrils. “No, he would never!” Long cooking chopsticks dropped from fragile hands and dispersed into ethereal mist. Her body flickered like a television with a bad signal.
Rat Tattoo grabbed Mercy’s shoulder with some force. “If you are accusing us of—”
Bao hissed, fur standing on end. He was only a small ghost, but the sudden noise was enough to make the man release his grip in shock…”
The novel also runs a parallel track. Back in 1941, a twenty-year-old called Sung Siu Yin and her cold, grief-carved mother flee the Japanese invasion to shelter on Shek Ham Chau, a pristine ghost island improbably maintained by its industrious spectral residents. Siu Yin explores, finds a monstrous green-skinned jiaoren lurking just offshore, and, because her judgment regarding sea monsters is optimistic, strikes up a friendship she will come to regret across several bodies.
The jiaoren turns out to be Chen Mei Chi, a water ghost of legendary persistence. Dead since childhood, it haunts her island for decades, and operating on the well-established ghost principle that love and drowning are interchangeable.
When Siu Yin's kindness inevitably cracks the ghost's long loneliness, and her eventual rejection cracks it the other way, Mei Chi performs a grand gestures of wounded affection that is fairly hard to forgive. A confusing genealogy of water ghosts is awakened and exposed.
Meanwhile, Mei Chi, walking around in living skin and rattled by guilt she did not expect to feel, gets rescued by a Japanese military patrol and swept into Hong Kong's wartime resistance, where she becomes, through years of body-swapping necessity, the woman the 1975 timeline calls the Girl with a Thousand Faces.
The two timelines are really one very long grudge, and by 1975 that grudge has matured into elaborate supernatural scheming. I was lost in the accounts of wartime betrayal, stolen bodies, colonial neglect, and family guilt. Whether any of it can be settled without drowning everyone in the vicinity is the question Sunyi Dean is trying to sustain across four parts and forty chapters, with a ghost cat, a goddess, and the Hong Kong harbor as witnesses. I was gasping for air on the first page already.
The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a ghost story about inheritance. It is about what the dead pass to the living, what the living owe the dead, and what happens when the two groups stop agreeing. Women who are cheated of voice, agency, and survival do not dissolve politely into the afterlife. They come back, furious and creative, wearing other people's faces if they must. Give women their due or expect trouble. This thesis is old enough to be engraved on a temple wall, and remains as current as this morning's newspaper. Not very original, though, and thus requires an original way to present it. For me it was too messy, too confusing, too fantastical, too much, too weak, too childish.
The colonial Hong Kong setting does genuine work, grounding supernatural grievance in documented historical betrayal. The weaknesses are structural. The second-person chapters tip from immersive into instructional. The pacing across four parts suggests a book that grew in the writing and was only partially persuaded to stop. The connections are loose and the coherence is absent.
Still, a water ghost who steals faces to demand accountability from a city that preferred to forget her is a fine metaphor for recorded history, and Dean deploys it with enough conviction that the book is to be commended for its ambition, even when the ambition outweighs the unfocused execution. This book is a head full of bees. Couldn't keep up, Couldn't stay interested. It's a shame because the era and events are truly fascinating. The execution did nothing for me.
I may be wrong, but this has to be some of the weakest writing I've yet to encounter from a serious publisher:
“...Chungpo swore under his breath.
“Fuck a crab,” Mercy said, and sighed. “Grandmother, you are dead. I don’t know if the sickness killed you or starvation did, but either way, the only ‘help’ your grandson gave was to hurry you along and make sure you could not escape death. He waited till you were bedbound, stole your money and your jewelry, and locked you in here to die.” She looked at Chungpo. “Am I right?”
The man glared. Gold bracelets clacked on his wrists as his fists curled.
“No!” The ghost began to cry with black tears, smoke trickling from her nostrils. “No, he would never!” Long cooking chopsticks dropped from fragile hands and dispersed into ethereal mist. Her body flickered like a television with a bad signal.
Rat Tattoo grabbed Mercy’s shoulder with some force. “If you are accusing us of—”
Bao hissed, fur standing on end. He was only a small ghost, but the sudden noise was enough to make the man release his grip in shock…”
May 5, 2026
Review originally on JamReads
The Girl With A Thousand Faces is a brilliant genre-blending novel, halfway between Gothic horror and urban fantasy, written by Sunyi Dean, published by Tor. After an astounding debut with The Book Eaters, I had high hopes for her sophomore novel, and it totally exceed my expectations, delivering not only a novel with a heart-pounding story about family bonds, grief and ghosts, but which is also bold with its narrative structure, playing with them to eventually tie all together to make this a memorable book.
Mercy Chan, a woman without memories, washes up on the shores of Hong Kong, finding refuge working as a ghost-talker in the infested streets of Kowloon Walled City; but when one day, a powerful ghost comes to her city and start causing havoc, threatening to be the final nail in the coffin that will allow the council to tear down what has been her world for the last thirty-two years. But behind this ghost there are more things that are also tied to Mercy's past, some secrets that could destroy her life and might need to remain buried.
It's difficult to convey in words why this book is such a brilliant literary piece. While I understand the structure chosen by Sunyi Dean to tell this story (apparently unrelated timelines, different perspectives) might be confusing for some readers, it's part of what makes this a memorable novel; what starts as a ghost story evolves into a family plot whose consequences we are experiencing now, with some revelations that invites us to rethink which role is each character playing. At the end, what we are reading is a story that hides trauma and grief at its core, excellently portrayed by the words of the author.
The setting is another remarkable aspect of this novel: not only by how well Dean has portrayed invaded Hong Kong and the post war situation, but how it is blended together with a ghost theme that is tightly woven with how ordinary people is forced to pay the metaphorical cost of war; it is refreshing to have a historical ESEA location as the setting, especially when the mythology is also imbued into the story.
In terms of pacing, this is a bit of a tricky book to define, mostly due to how it is structured; I didn't find it slow (I kinda devoured it), but there are some sections where I just trusted the author to pull it all together (and honestly, the execution is just chef kiss).
The Girl With A Thousand Faces is simply excellent; I don't think I can really capture in words how good this novel is. A demonstration of Dean's writing skills, a remarkable genre-blending story that is already a candidate to end up being one of my favourite books of the year!
The Girl With A Thousand Faces is a brilliant genre-blending novel, halfway between Gothic horror and urban fantasy, written by Sunyi Dean, published by Tor. After an astounding debut with The Book Eaters, I had high hopes for her sophomore novel, and it totally exceed my expectations, delivering not only a novel with a heart-pounding story about family bonds, grief and ghosts, but which is also bold with its narrative structure, playing with them to eventually tie all together to make this a memorable book.
Mercy Chan, a woman without memories, washes up on the shores of Hong Kong, finding refuge working as a ghost-talker in the infested streets of Kowloon Walled City; but when one day, a powerful ghost comes to her city and start causing havoc, threatening to be the final nail in the coffin that will allow the council to tear down what has been her world for the last thirty-two years. But behind this ghost there are more things that are also tied to Mercy's past, some secrets that could destroy her life and might need to remain buried.
It's difficult to convey in words why this book is such a brilliant literary piece. While I understand the structure chosen by Sunyi Dean to tell this story (apparently unrelated timelines, different perspectives) might be confusing for some readers, it's part of what makes this a memorable novel; what starts as a ghost story evolves into a family plot whose consequences we are experiencing now, with some revelations that invites us to rethink which role is each character playing. At the end, what we are reading is a story that hides trauma and grief at its core, excellently portrayed by the words of the author.
The setting is another remarkable aspect of this novel: not only by how well Dean has portrayed invaded Hong Kong and the post war situation, but how it is blended together with a ghost theme that is tightly woven with how ordinary people is forced to pay the metaphorical cost of war; it is refreshing to have a historical ESEA location as the setting, especially when the mythology is also imbued into the story.
In terms of pacing, this is a bit of a tricky book to define, mostly due to how it is structured; I didn't find it slow (I kinda devoured it), but there are some sections where I just trusted the author to pull it all together (and honestly, the execution is just chef kiss).
The Girl With A Thousand Faces is simply excellent; I don't think I can really capture in words how good this novel is. A demonstration of Dean's writing skills, a remarkable genre-blending story that is already a candidate to end up being one of my favourite books of the year!
May 13, 2026
This book absolutely consumed me. I finished it in a single day because I genuinely could not put it down.
While A Girl with a Thousand Faces is marketed as horror — and it definitely contains horror elements — it is so much more than that. At its core, this is a story about betrayal, vengeance, grief, and loneliness, all set against the painful historical backdrop of Japan’s occupation and control over Hong Kong. The historical setting added such a haunting depth to the story and made the emotional moments hit even harder.
I don’t want to go too deeply into the plot because I truly think this is one of those books that readers need to experience firsthand. What I will say is that I LOVED the direction this story took. That revelation had me absolutely seething because I genuinely did not see it coming. To me, this is what makes a great gothic fantasy: the atmosphere, the creeping sense of dread, and that perfectly executed twist/suspense element woven throughout the narrative.
I also thought the ending was incredibly well done. It felt satisfying and impactful without becoming overdramatic or overextended.
I know timeline shifts can be divisive for some readers — and honestly, sometimes they don’t work for me either — but the way they were handled here was PURE MAGIC. The gradual unraveling of the story through the different timelines was done so skillfully and kept me completely invested from beginning to end.
And if my entire review still isn’t enough to convince you to pick this book up, I’ll just say this: there is a ghost cat in this book named Bao (like the Chinese bun). There. I’ll leave it at that.
Thank you to Tor for sending me an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
While A Girl with a Thousand Faces is marketed as horror — and it definitely contains horror elements — it is so much more than that. At its core, this is a story about betrayal, vengeance, grief, and loneliness, all set against the painful historical backdrop of Japan’s occupation and control over Hong Kong. The historical setting added such a haunting depth to the story and made the emotional moments hit even harder.
I don’t want to go too deeply into the plot because I truly think this is one of those books that readers need to experience firsthand. What I will say is that I LOVED the direction this story took. That revelation had me absolutely seething because I genuinely did not see it coming. To me, this is what makes a great gothic fantasy: the atmosphere, the creeping sense of dread, and that perfectly executed twist/suspense element woven throughout the narrative.
I also thought the ending was incredibly well done. It felt satisfying and impactful without becoming overdramatic or overextended.
I know timeline shifts can be divisive for some readers — and honestly, sometimes they don’t work for me either — but the way they were handled here was PURE MAGIC. The gradual unraveling of the story through the different timelines was done so skillfully and kept me completely invested from beginning to end.
And if my entire review still isn’t enough to convince you to pick this book up, I’ll just say this: there is a ghost cat in this book named Bao (like the Chinese bun). There. I’ll leave it at that.
Thank you to Tor for sending me an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 8, 2026
Mercy Chan washed up in a Hong Kong harbour during the Japanese occupation of WW2 with no memory of her life before. In the 1970s, now a woman in her 50s, she works for Cobra Lily's triads as a ghost talker with her Bao, her ghost cat. Mercy hasn't left the walled, ghost-filled city of Kowloon since she arrived all those years ago but a mysterious serial killer ghost and scheming local officials force her to investigate further afield - and come face to face with her forgotten past.
I read Sunyi Dean's debut The Book Eaters, and although I liked the concept, I struggled to connect with the story. I didn't have that issue with The Girl With a Thousand Faces. Around about halfway through the book, the perspective changes and we discover a whole new layer of complexity to the story.
This is not a gentle story or just a spooky urban fantasy. It's grim in places and we exam the violence of war, the betrayal and disappointment of loved ones, and complex generational trauma. Does seeking and achieving revenge actually allow someone to heal? Or does it take forgiveness?
It was tense, it was emotional - I was thoroughly captivated.
Thanks to Harper Voyager for providing a netgalley proof for review
I read Sunyi Dean's debut The Book Eaters, and although I liked the concept, I struggled to connect with the story. I didn't have that issue with The Girl With a Thousand Faces. Around about halfway through the book, the perspective changes and we discover a whole new layer of complexity to the story.
This is not a gentle story or just a spooky urban fantasy. It's grim in places and we exam the violence of war, the betrayal and disappointment of loved ones, and complex generational trauma. Does seeking and achieving revenge actually allow someone to heal? Or does it take forgiveness?
It was tense, it was emotional - I was thoroughly captivated.
Thanks to Harper Voyager for providing a netgalley proof for review
May 10, 2026
4.5 ⭐
Absolutely fascinating concept with ghosts, trauma, war, and deeply atmospheric elements throughout. The jump between characters from the first half to the second half felt a bit jarring at first, but I found the multiple perspectives so immersive and intriguing that I ultimately didn’t mind.
The idea of peeling skins to live with “1000 faces” was incredibly compelling and unlike anything I’ve read before. I couldn’t put this audiobook down.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sunyi Dean, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely fascinating concept with ghosts, trauma, war, and deeply atmospheric elements throughout. The jump between characters from the first half to the second half felt a bit jarring at first, but I found the multiple perspectives so immersive and intriguing that I ultimately didn’t mind.
The idea of peeling skins to live with “1000 faces” was incredibly compelling and unlike anything I’ve read before. I couldn’t put this audiobook down.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sunyi Dean, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2026
4.25
Somehow I missed this was about ghosts, I obviously didn't read the description. But I ended up really enjoying it! I was even a little teary eyed toward the end.
Somehow I missed this was about ghosts, I obviously didn't read the description. But I ended up really enjoying it! I was even a little teary eyed toward the end.
May 2, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
i picked up this book because it was a bit out of my comfort zone compared to what i normally read, but was intrigued by the concept of the spirit world and a ghost talking main character in historical china. i was not disappointed in the slightest!
this book took me on a journey unlike any i’ve ever read, and i was enthralled from beginning to end.
Mercy Chan washed up on the shores of Hong Kong as a child with no memories amidst the Japanese occupation of WWII. she finds her place in Kowloon city, a crowded complex overrun by ghosts who have yet to move on from unfinished business. but Mercy is a ghost talker with the exceptional ability to speak with spirits and help them attain closure to move onto the spirit world- through whatever violent means they require.
Mercy is haunted by a spirit of her past that she can’t remember anything about, and the demon has begun to kill people in Kowloon city to get closer to Mercy for reasons unknown.
the story progresses in many twists and turns that i refuse to go into any more detail about because i want everyone to go in blind!
the characters and relationships are wildly complex, being the driving force of the plot itself. i don’t say this lightly, but it also has one of the craziest plot twists i’ve ever read- totally didn’t see coming!
i picked up this book because it was a bit out of my comfort zone compared to what i normally read, but was intrigued by the concept of the spirit world and a ghost talking main character in historical china. i was not disappointed in the slightest!
this book took me on a journey unlike any i’ve ever read, and i was enthralled from beginning to end.
Mercy Chan washed up on the shores of Hong Kong as a child with no memories amidst the Japanese occupation of WWII. she finds her place in Kowloon city, a crowded complex overrun by ghosts who have yet to move on from unfinished business. but Mercy is a ghost talker with the exceptional ability to speak with spirits and help them attain closure to move onto the spirit world- through whatever violent means they require.
Mercy is haunted by a spirit of her past that she can’t remember anything about, and the demon has begun to kill people in Kowloon city to get closer to Mercy for reasons unknown.
the story progresses in many twists and turns that i refuse to go into any more detail about because i want everyone to go in blind!
the characters and relationships are wildly complex, being the driving force of the plot itself. i don’t say this lightly, but it also has one of the craziest plot twists i’ve ever read- totally didn’t see coming!
May 13, 2026
4 ⭐️ First off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audioARC of the book. I really enjoyed this book. It's a blend of fantasy, horror/gothic vibes and historical genres and the writing was fabulous. Set in the WWII era of Japan, the author takes you on a wide ride. Mercy Chan(who doesn't remember anything from her past)is a ghost talker for the triad and is tasked with finding a vengeful ghost who is drowning its victims and using their bodies to get around the city. Said ghost knows Mercy, the how is interesting rhe story which I will not spoil. The narrator kept me engaged and in the story. There's murder, ghosties, wartime, loss, grief, terror, drowning, a ghost cat named Bao and lots of Japanese beliefs, and historical moments. Yes I recommend this story to people who like a good Gothic horror.
May 7, 2026
honestly thought this was gonna be an easy 4 star read for me. i really enjoyed the first almost 70% of the book - the world-building, lore around ghosts, the story, the little plot twist, the character’s journeys- it was all captivating and i was hooked. but the last quarter was a bit of a let-down, wasn’t a fan of how it finished. the resolution felt cheap like the author was trying to wrap up the story without really considering the characters or their motives. knocked off a whole star for that lame end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sunyi Dean has crafted a haunting and deeply atmospheric masterpiece in The Girl with a Thousand Faces. This is one of those books that, despite being a dark urban fantasy, feels deeply rooted in reality. Set against the historical backdrop of 1940s and 1970s Hong Kong. The sense of place is vivid and immersive, and it became one of the main reasons I loved the story so much.
The novel blends historical reality with supernatural horror, focusing on the lasting impact of war, particularly the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. A large portion of the story takes place in Kowloon Walled City. I found it fascinating. I had to pause the book to look up videos and read articles about it. I even dug out an old copy of Bloodsport to revisit its depiction of the setting. That kind of curiosity does not happen unless a book truly brings its world to life.
The story unfolds across two timelines, with our main character, Mercy Chan, at its heart. While the narrative feels grounded in reality, it also introduces deeply original elements that blend gothic fantasy, history, and emotional depth into something unforgettable. The plotting is handled with precision and ambition, and the level of control here left me genuinely impressed. Twists land with impact, and the layered mystery keeps you engaged from start to finish.
Technically, it is a strong novel, but what truly elevates it is its emotional core. The book explores grief, generational trauma, the scars of war, and the possibility of forgiveness with nuance and care. The relationships feel raw and authentic. They are messy, complicated, and often heartbreaking in ways that feel very real. The narrative moves between past and present with confidence, weaving together its themes and character arcs into something cohesive and powerful.
This is a difficult book to describe because every time I try to define it, it seems to resist that definition. It is both what you expect and its opposite. Everything about the premise might suggest a heavy, serious story, and it certainly deals with dark material, including death and brutality, so checking trigger warnings is a good idea. At the same time, it has moments of humour and warmth that beautifully balance the tone. There is even a ghostly animal companion who brings unexpected levity and charm to the story.
I really loved the audiobook narration. It honestly made the whole experience so much more immersive for me. Natalie Naudus did such an incredible job bringing the story to life, and I found it so easy to get pulled into the atmosphere because of her performance. She handled all the different characters really well, and I never felt confused about who was speaking, even in more complex scenes. The emotion she brought to the narration added so much depth, especially during the darker, more intense moments. I had also recently listened to Japanese Gothic, which she narrated expertly, so I already knew I loved her style, and this performance just reinforced that. Overall, I feel like the narration really elevated the story and made it even more engaging.
In the end, The Girl with a Thousand Faces is unsettling, emotional, and richly imagined, but also surprisingly human at its core. It is the kind of book that not only tells a compelling story but also pushes you to learn more about the world it is set in, and that is something truly special.
The novel blends historical reality with supernatural horror, focusing on the lasting impact of war, particularly the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. A large portion of the story takes place in Kowloon Walled City. I found it fascinating. I had to pause the book to look up videos and read articles about it. I even dug out an old copy of Bloodsport to revisit its depiction of the setting. That kind of curiosity does not happen unless a book truly brings its world to life.
The story unfolds across two timelines, with our main character, Mercy Chan, at its heart. While the narrative feels grounded in reality, it also introduces deeply original elements that blend gothic fantasy, history, and emotional depth into something unforgettable. The plotting is handled with precision and ambition, and the level of control here left me genuinely impressed. Twists land with impact, and the layered mystery keeps you engaged from start to finish.
Technically, it is a strong novel, but what truly elevates it is its emotional core. The book explores grief, generational trauma, the scars of war, and the possibility of forgiveness with nuance and care. The relationships feel raw and authentic. They are messy, complicated, and often heartbreaking in ways that feel very real. The narrative moves between past and present with confidence, weaving together its themes and character arcs into something cohesive and powerful.
This is a difficult book to describe because every time I try to define it, it seems to resist that definition. It is both what you expect and its opposite. Everything about the premise might suggest a heavy, serious story, and it certainly deals with dark material, including death and brutality, so checking trigger warnings is a good idea. At the same time, it has moments of humour and warmth that beautifully balance the tone. There is even a ghostly animal companion who brings unexpected levity and charm to the story.
I really loved the audiobook narration. It honestly made the whole experience so much more immersive for me. Natalie Naudus did such an incredible job bringing the story to life, and I found it so easy to get pulled into the atmosphere because of her performance. She handled all the different characters really well, and I never felt confused about who was speaking, even in more complex scenes. The emotion she brought to the narration added so much depth, especially during the darker, more intense moments. I had also recently listened to Japanese Gothic, which she narrated expertly, so I already knew I loved her style, and this performance just reinforced that. Overall, I feel like the narration really elevated the story and made it even more engaging.
In the end, The Girl with a Thousand Faces is unsettling, emotional, and richly imagined, but also surprisingly human at its core. It is the kind of book that not only tells a compelling story but also pushes you to learn more about the world it is set in, and that is something truly special.
May 17, 2026
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this gothic, ethereal adventure. This is my first book by Sunyi Dean and I will be reading more. I really enjoyed this layered read and appreciated all of the work that must have gone into the writing as I went through it.
This book about Mercy Chan, a ghost talker (having a main character who is 50ish was so appreciated) with a past that she is unsure of and a few mysteries to unravel as she does her quite scary job with confidence. But it is also about so much more! Generational trauma, death and mourning, trauma from occupation and war and survival trauma are all layered in with this tale. I love books where you have to decide what is scarier, ghosts and the supernatural or reality. And this one combines both so successfully that at times you have one commenting on the other.
I can't stop talking about her depiction of the jiaoren and the deities. Sunyi's depictions of all of the settings and creatures are so rich and fabulous that I have fully formed pictures of the scenes in my brain.
My favourite parts:
- the mythology
- the cover art
- everything after the 1st third (so glad I stuck through what was for me a rocky start)
I rarely have a book where the narration makes me pause but this was one. I am on outlier because people loved it but for me, I wish I had read the physical copy of this one for a few reasons. The first being some of the voices, although I loved narration of Natalie Naudus for the most part, I was brought out of the story in parts (especially the 1st third) by some of her character voices, mainly young and 'bad' people, the vocal choice here was very cartoonish and just wasn't for me. In addition, I had a more difficult time keeping track of what era we were in and often had to check back to what time period the book was taking place in and I feel that may have been easier to track with a physical copy.
If you love history, mythology and gothic horror, I highly recommend stepping into the world the Girl with a Thousand Faces 🎭
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy! This publishes May 5th.
This book about Mercy Chan, a ghost talker (having a main character who is 50ish was so appreciated) with a past that she is unsure of and a few mysteries to unravel as she does her quite scary job with confidence. But it is also about so much more! Generational trauma, death and mourning, trauma from occupation and war and survival trauma are all layered in with this tale. I love books where you have to decide what is scarier, ghosts and the supernatural or reality. And this one combines both so successfully that at times you have one commenting on the other.
I can't stop talking about her depiction of the jiaoren and the deities. Sunyi's depictions of all of the settings and creatures are so rich and fabulous that I have fully formed pictures of the scenes in my brain.
My favourite parts:
- the mythology
- the cover art
- everything after the 1st third (so glad I stuck through what was for me a rocky start)
I rarely have a book where the narration makes me pause but this was one. I am on outlier because people loved it but for me, I wish I had read the physical copy of this one for a few reasons. The first being some of the voices, although I loved narration of Natalie Naudus for the most part, I was brought out of the story in parts (especially the 1st third) by some of her character voices, mainly young and 'bad' people, the vocal choice here was very cartoonish and just wasn't for me. In addition, I had a more difficult time keeping track of what era we were in and often had to check back to what time period the book was taking place in and I feel that may have been easier to track with a physical copy.
If you love history, mythology and gothic horror, I highly recommend stepping into the world the Girl with a Thousand Faces 🎭
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy! This publishes May 5th.
May 11, 2026
5✨
I feel like this is one of those books that's best to go into completely blind, so I'm going to stay as vague as possible. What I can say is that I really loved this take on ghosts, demons, and exorcism. It felt fresh, unsettling, and deeply tied to the emotional core of the story rather than just there for horror.
I also really enjoyed the setting, both 1975 Hong Kong and the post-war Hong Kong of 1945. It felt like we were following characters who are simply trying to survive and live their lives in a world still deeply shaped by war and everything it leaves behind.
There were so many emotionally devastating moments, the story deals a lot with generational trauma and all the consequences that come with it, forgiveness, memory, and what people carry with them long after terrible things happen. Some moments hit hard😭.
The switches in POVs and themes were a little startling at first, but I actually ended up really loving that structure and the way everything slowly came together into one story by the end, I feel like it ended up being really unpredictable!
I also always love when a book makes me want to learn more about history, and this absolutely did that. There were so many things woven into the story that I hadn’t known about before when it comes to this part of the world.
I feel like this is one of those books that's best to go into completely blind, so I'm going to stay as vague as possible. What I can say is that I really loved this take on ghosts, demons, and exorcism. It felt fresh, unsettling, and deeply tied to the emotional core of the story rather than just there for horror.
I also really enjoyed the setting, both 1975 Hong Kong and the post-war Hong Kong of 1945. It felt like we were following characters who are simply trying to survive and live their lives in a world still deeply shaped by war and everything it leaves behind.
There were so many emotionally devastating moments, the story deals a lot with generational trauma and all the consequences that come with it, forgiveness, memory, and what people carry with them long after terrible things happen. Some moments hit hard😭.
The switches in POVs and themes were a little startling at first, but I actually ended up really loving that structure and the way everything slowly came together into one story by the end, I feel like it ended up being really unpredictable!
I also always love when a book makes me want to learn more about history, and this absolutely did that. There were so many things woven into the story that I hadn’t known about before when it comes to this part of the world.
May 3, 2026
This has been such a fun Japanese ghost thriller. There are so many threads that are written together so thoughtfully to not overcomplicate the story arc. If you love a perfectly painted thriller this is for you! I absolutely loved Mercy and her ghost cat.Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
September 25, 2025
I was so lucky to get this earc from Sunyi Dean and this book soon became one of my favourite ever! The girl with a thousand faces is a dark urban fantasy set in Hong Kong, mixing myths, local legends, angry spirits and powerful and women who don't want to forgive.
Mercy Chan is a triad "ghost talker". After losing the memory of her first twenty years, before WWII, after washing up on the shore of Hong Kong, she rebuilt her life in the Walled City in Kowloom, a famous ghost-infested slum, where she lives now. But a murderous ghost is set to destroy her city and exact vengeance from her, for something she did in the past. If only she could remember who she was.
The girl with a thousand faces is hauntingly beautiful, eerie, gorgeous and beautifully written. The author has the great ability of capture your attention right away and one of the best thing is how Sunyi Dean leads you to believe in someone and something, to cheer them on and then, suddendly, to change all the cards on the table and making you realize you actually didn't understand anything. Split in four parts, with different POVs, and during the Chino-Japanese war and 30 years later, the reader is thrown into the complex and painful story of Hong Kong, its ghosts and inhabitants, following the news, the massacres, the cruelties. I've learned so many things I didn't studied before and I was both glad to have my knowledge expanded and horrified by what I've learned.
This is a story of grief and revenge, resentment and horror, generational trauma and how traumatizing and damaging can be if there's not forgiveness. It's a story about familial bonds and, like in The book eaters, the complex and often painful relationship between a mother and a child. The reader follows two women and their stories, their mistakes and cruelties, fights and willingness to live and experience the world, to exact revenge. It's a story about angry ghosts and hurt girls. Girls who have been abandoned, hurt and betrayed and their anger and fury.
It's a story about war and blood, spirits and ghosts, pain and revenge, and it's written so poetically.
I loved every single thing. One of the best book I've ever read.
Mercy Chan is a triad "ghost talker". After losing the memory of her first twenty years, before WWII, after washing up on the shore of Hong Kong, she rebuilt her life in the Walled City in Kowloom, a famous ghost-infested slum, where she lives now. But a murderous ghost is set to destroy her city and exact vengeance from her, for something she did in the past. If only she could remember who she was.
The girl with a thousand faces is hauntingly beautiful, eerie, gorgeous and beautifully written. The author has the great ability of capture your attention right away and one of the best thing is how Sunyi Dean leads you to believe in someone and something, to cheer them on and then, suddendly, to change all the cards on the table and making you realize you actually didn't understand anything. Split in four parts, with different POVs, and during the Chino-Japanese war and 30 years later, the reader is thrown into the complex and painful story of Hong Kong, its ghosts and inhabitants, following the news, the massacres, the cruelties. I've learned so many things I didn't studied before and I was both glad to have my knowledge expanded and horrified by what I've learned.
This is a story of grief and revenge, resentment and horror, generational trauma and how traumatizing and damaging can be if there's not forgiveness. It's a story about familial bonds and, like in The book eaters, the complex and often painful relationship between a mother and a child. The reader follows two women and their stories, their mistakes and cruelties, fights and willingness to live and experience the world, to exact revenge. It's a story about angry ghosts and hurt girls. Girls who have been abandoned, hurt and betrayed and their anger and fury.
It's a story about war and blood, spirits and ghosts, pain and revenge, and it's written so poetically.
I loved every single thing. One of the best book I've ever read.
May 21, 2026
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence/gun violence, blood, murder, body horror, war, colonialism, death, drowning, vomit, attempted rape/sexual assault, confinement, torture, fire, abandonment/neglect, mention of suicide, toxic relationship, grief
--
Sunyi Dean has done it again, brilliantly merging genres – here supernatural fantasy and historical fiction – to deliver a poignant story centred around the lasting effects of war and generational trauma.
The Girl With A Thousand Faces follows Mercy Chan, a middle aged woman with no memory of her past who has the ability to talk to ghosts. She has made a new and comfortable life for herself working as a sort of exorcist in Kowloon Walled City of post WW2 Hong Kong alongside her ghost cat Bao but when a malevolent spirit claiming to know her starts causing havoc across the city, Mercy’s past coming back to haunt her might finally lead her to some answers.
This is very much a ghost story but as with The Book Eaters the horror elements are more uncanny than outright scary. There is some interesting folklore thrown into the mix here too with the themes of grief, neglect and displacement, predominantly at the hands of the horrors of the second World War and the impact it had to the general populous in Eastern Asia, threaded through it all.
I was instantly pulled in by the immersive atmosphere of the ghost city and the mystery around Mercy however, I have to admit that I didn’t love this one as much as The Book Eaters.
The issue I had with the book was more to do with some of the narrative choices than the overall story itself. There is a split timeline and I felt like the parts of the story which recalled past events were paced significantly slower. This did add to the whimsical almost folklore-esque vibe that the story had started to slip into at this point however, there was also the case of these segments being narrated in 2nd person and rather than draw me closer to the character’s personal journey I found it took me out of the story more.
That being said all of the characters in this were still beautifully layered and the emotion that Dean is able to capture through her storytelling is fantastic, its what kept me reading. I sort of caught onto the big twist in the narrative but I still think it was a very good one that made this story all the more original.
Definitely check this one out if you’re intrigued!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence/gun violence, blood, murder, body horror, war, colonialism, death, drowning, vomit, attempted rape/sexual assault, confinement, torture, fire, abandonment/neglect, mention of suicide, toxic relationship, grief
--
Sunyi Dean has done it again, brilliantly merging genres – here supernatural fantasy and historical fiction – to deliver a poignant story centred around the lasting effects of war and generational trauma.
The Girl With A Thousand Faces follows Mercy Chan, a middle aged woman with no memory of her past who has the ability to talk to ghosts. She has made a new and comfortable life for herself working as a sort of exorcist in Kowloon Walled City of post WW2 Hong Kong alongside her ghost cat Bao but when a malevolent spirit claiming to know her starts causing havoc across the city, Mercy’s past coming back to haunt her might finally lead her to some answers.
This is very much a ghost story but as with The Book Eaters the horror elements are more uncanny than outright scary. There is some interesting folklore thrown into the mix here too with the themes of grief, neglect and displacement, predominantly at the hands of the horrors of the second World War and the impact it had to the general populous in Eastern Asia, threaded through it all.
“War does not finish… It is not a game that stops when enough players quite. It is a wound, sinking into flesh, leaving scars and rot that cause pain for a long time.”
I was instantly pulled in by the immersive atmosphere of the ghost city and the mystery around Mercy however, I have to admit that I didn’t love this one as much as The Book Eaters.
The issue I had with the book was more to do with some of the narrative choices than the overall story itself. There is a split timeline and I felt like the parts of the story which recalled past events were paced significantly slower. This did add to the whimsical almost folklore-esque vibe that the story had started to slip into at this point however, there was also the case of these segments being narrated in 2nd person and rather than draw me closer to the character’s personal journey I found it took me out of the story more.
That being said all of the characters in this were still beautifully layered and the emotion that Dean is able to capture through her storytelling is fantastic, its what kept me reading. I sort of caught onto the big twist in the narrative but I still think it was a very good one that made this story all the more original.
Definitely check this one out if you’re intrigued!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
May 1, 2026
Sunyi Dean’s The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a blend of historical fantasy and gothic horror that lingers long after the final page.
Set in a vividly rendered postwar Hong Kong, the story follows Mercy Chan, a ghost-talker scraping out a life in the infamous Kowloon Walled City, who is forced to confront a dangerous spirit tied to the past she cannot remember. Interwoven with her story is that of a young girl who flees to a remote, haunted island on the eve of the Japanese invasion, where something ancient and patient waits beneath the surface.
This is very much a character-driven novel, and Mercy immediately stood out to me, not least because she has a ghost cat companion who completely stole my heart. The setting is another highlight. The claustrophobic, labyrinthine atmosphere of the Walled City feels alive in every sense, and it even sent me down a rabbit hole researching Hong Kong’s history, which made the reading experience even richer.
What really sets this book apart is its structure. It begins almost like a fantasy murder mystery, grounded and tense, before taking a sharp and unexpected turn into something far more unsettling and emotionally complex. While I found the first third the most engaging, I appreciated the risks the story takes later on. The shifts in narration and tone ultimately worked for me and made the novel feel memorable.
Dean skillfully weaves together supernatural horror with the very real trauma of war, creating a world that feels both eerie and deeply human. Themes of grief, identity, family, and the lasting scars of violence run through every thread of the narrative.
I also experienced this story as an audiobook, and the narration by Natalie Naudus added another layer to an already immersive tale. She captures the emotional weight of the characters with great care, conveying both the quiet grief and the rising tension in a way that pulled me deeper into the story. Her performance felt nuanced and engaging throughout, making it easy to stay connected even as the narrative shifts in tone and structure.
This is not always an easy read, but it is a powerful and unique one that rewards patience and emotional investment.
I’m grateful to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book in advance and share my thoughts.
Set in a vividly rendered postwar Hong Kong, the story follows Mercy Chan, a ghost-talker scraping out a life in the infamous Kowloon Walled City, who is forced to confront a dangerous spirit tied to the past she cannot remember. Interwoven with her story is that of a young girl who flees to a remote, haunted island on the eve of the Japanese invasion, where something ancient and patient waits beneath the surface.
This is very much a character-driven novel, and Mercy immediately stood out to me, not least because she has a ghost cat companion who completely stole my heart. The setting is another highlight. The claustrophobic, labyrinthine atmosphere of the Walled City feels alive in every sense, and it even sent me down a rabbit hole researching Hong Kong’s history, which made the reading experience even richer.
What really sets this book apart is its structure. It begins almost like a fantasy murder mystery, grounded and tense, before taking a sharp and unexpected turn into something far more unsettling and emotionally complex. While I found the first third the most engaging, I appreciated the risks the story takes later on. The shifts in narration and tone ultimately worked for me and made the novel feel memorable.
Dean skillfully weaves together supernatural horror with the very real trauma of war, creating a world that feels both eerie and deeply human. Themes of grief, identity, family, and the lasting scars of violence run through every thread of the narrative.
I also experienced this story as an audiobook, and the narration by Natalie Naudus added another layer to an already immersive tale. She captures the emotional weight of the characters with great care, conveying both the quiet grief and the rising tension in a way that pulled me deeper into the story. Her performance felt nuanced and engaging throughout, making it easy to stay connected even as the narrative shifts in tone and structure.
This is not always an easy read, but it is a powerful and unique one that rewards patience and emotional investment.
I’m grateful to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book in advance and share my thoughts.
May 13, 2026
4.75⭐️ The Girl With a Thousand Faces exceeded my expectations and really blew me away with the unique narrative structure. I think this will be hit or miss for some people, but we switched back and forth from third to second to first person POVs and it worked so well for me - I thought it was so much fun to see these shifts and give the story a different feel. The narrative structure coupled with Chinese folklore and themes of revenge, loss, forgiveness, and loneliness created this eerie and haunting mythical atmosphere that I loved so much.
There is also a POV shift at part 2 where we go further back in time with a flashback and I think this could slow the story for some readers, but I was so invested in this part of the story because I was forming theories here so I had no issues with it. I think this is partly due to the fact that I was constantly switching who I was rooting for throughout this book so I was fully invested in every part of the plot.
I found a few of our characters to be relatable in a way that made me really love them and the character arcs were quite satisfying. I’d really love to read more in this world and with these characters, but I didn’t love the dialogue at times. Sometimes the dialogue felt too casual and too modern so I never really felt like it was actually 1975. I do wish that I felt more grounded into the time we were supposed to be in.
My only real criticism of the book is that I don’t think the end was as impactful or as strong as it could have been. It was a nice ending, but it wasn’t one I would have chosen for this story. I did find myself a touch disappointed because it felt watered down (lol you’ll get why this is funny when you read it) compared to the intensity of the rest of the book. Overall, really great read. I think so many things came together so well and were perfect for me. I don’t think everything will work as well for everyone else, but I loved this.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
There is also a POV shift at part 2 where we go further back in time with a flashback and I think this could slow the story for some readers, but I was so invested in this part of the story because I was forming theories here so I had no issues with it. I think this is partly due to the fact that I was constantly switching who I was rooting for throughout this book so I was fully invested in every part of the plot.
I found a few of our characters to be relatable in a way that made me really love them and the character arcs were quite satisfying. I’d really love to read more in this world and with these characters, but I didn’t love the dialogue at times. Sometimes the dialogue felt too casual and too modern so I never really felt like it was actually 1975. I do wish that I felt more grounded into the time we were supposed to be in.
My only real criticism of the book is that I don’t think the end was as impactful or as strong as it could have been. It was a nice ending, but it wasn’t one I would have chosen for this story. I did find myself a touch disappointed because it felt watered down (lol you’ll get why this is funny when you read it) compared to the intensity of the rest of the book. Overall, really great read. I think so many things came together so well and were perfect for me. I don’t think everything will work as well for everyone else, but I loved this.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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